This invention relates to an electric connector suitably used for electrically connecting insulating sheathed cables in a press-contact manner.
Insulating sheathed cables (hereinafter referred to as “cables”), each having a core conductor composed of a plurality of wire elements twisted together and covered with an insulating sheath, have been extensively used as wiring members in electronic equipments, which have now been formed into a more compact design and a thinner design. In Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-345640A, there is proposed a configuration for connecting such cables, in which an electric connector electrically connects a plurality of cables in a press-contact manner collectively without the use of solder.
In the configuration disclosed in the above publication, a lid-shaped pressing member is pivotably supported on a housing. This pressing member has a pressing portion adapted to collectively press blade portions of contacts against cables inserted into an opening formed at one side of the housing, so that the respective cables can be electrically connected with the corresponding contacts at once, and efficiency in the connection process can be enhanced.
In electronic equipments which have been more and more advanced with respect to a compact design and a high-density design, it has now been required to achieve a space-saving design with respect to an area of mounting of an electric connector used for connecting the cables to a circuit board such as a printed circuit board, that is, to save the connector mounting area on the circuit board. Therefore, it is desired that the electric connector should be of such a form as to meet this requirement and also to enhance the connecting reliability.
In the configuration described in the above publication, an edge of the blade portion of each contact may extend either in a direction intersecting the cable or in a direction parallel to the cable. However, in the former case, when the blade edge bites into a sheath of the cable to come into contact with the core conductor, the blade edge may excessively bite into the core conductor particularly when a high pressing force is applied with a view to obtaining the positive contact condition, and as a result there is a possibility that the blade edge damages the core conductor (or severs the core conductor when the degree of the biting is excessive), so that the connecting performance is adversely affected. On the other hand, in the latter case, the blade edge is liable to slip over the sheath of the cable having an arcuate outer periphery sideward during the cable connecting operation. Particularly when the rigid sheath material is used in order to increase the strength of the cable, the blade edge is more liable to slip, so that the blade edge fails to bite into the center of the core conductor, which leads to a possibility that the blade portion fails to be positively connected with the core conductor.
In addition, the connector disclosed in the above publication comprises a connecting portion adapted to be fitted with a mating connector. This connecting portion is formed as an extended part of the contact having the blade portion. In a case where the connector is mounted on a circuit board so that the connecting portion extends in parallel with the face of the circuit board, a space required for mounting the connector and the mating connector extends widely in the lateral direction. Accordingly, it is difficult to achieve a space-saving design.